The Open Fields of England

396 Pages·2014·6.942 MB·English

by  David Hall

Medieval History and Archaeology
General Editors
JOHN BLAIR HELENA HAMEROW
The Open Fields of England
MEDIEVAL HISTORY AND
ARCHAEOLOGY
General Editors
John Blair Helena Hamerow
The volumes in this series bring together archaeological, historical, and visual
methods to offer new approaches to aspects of medieval society, economy,
and material culture. The series seeks to present and interpret archaeological
evidence in ways readily accessible to historians, while providing a historical
perspective and context for the material culture of the period.
RECENTLY PUBLISHED IN THIS SERIES
PERCEPTIONS OF THE PREHISTORIC IN
ANGLO-SAXON ENGLAND
Religion, Ritual, and Rulership in the Landscape
Sarah Semple
TREES AND TIMBER IN THE ANGLO-SAXON WORLD
Edited by Michael D. J. Bintley and Michael G. Shapland
VIKING IDENTITIES
Scandinavian Jewellery in England
Jane F. Kershaw
LITURGY, ARCHITECTURE, AND SACRED PLACES
IN ANGLO-SAXON ENGLAND
Helen Gittos
RURAL SETTLEMENTS AND SOCIETY IN ANGLO-SAXON ENGLAND
Helena Hamerow
PARKS IN MEDIEVAL ENGLAND
S. A. Mileson
ANGLO-SAXON DEVIANT BURIAL CUSTOMS
Andrew Reynolds
BEYOND THE MEDIEVAL VILLAGE
The Diversification of Landscape Character in Southern Britain
Stephen Rippon
WATERWAYS AND CANAL-BUILDING IN MEDIEVAL ENGLAND
Edited by John Blair
FOOD IN MEDIEVAL ENGLAND
Diet and Nutrition
Edited by C. M. Woolgar, D. Serjeantson, and T. Waldron
THE OPEN FIELDS
OF ENGLAND
DAVID HALL
1
3
Great Clarendon Street, Oxford, OX2 6DP,
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© David Hall 2014
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First Edition published in 2014
Impression: 1
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2013950537
ISBN 978–0–19–870295–5
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Contents
List of Plates vii
List of Figures viii
List of Tables ix
List of Abbreviations x
Preface and Acknowledgements xi
Introduction: medieval fields and the landscape 1
1. Townships and land-use 7
A. Township and settlement 7
B. Contrasting settlement and field types 10
C. Land-use and management of meadows and pasture
within townships 17
D. Greens and droves in the Eastern and Western Regions 28
2. Field-system types: extensive fields of the Central Region 35
A. The Midlands 35
B. Yorkshire planned fields 45
C. Central Region field systems incorporating sheepfolding 53
3. Field-system types in the Eastern and Western Regions 61
A. Kent 61
B. East Anglia 64
C. The Wash Silt Fenlands 73
D. Systems with one open field 78
E. Convertible husbandry and infield–outfield 86
4. Open-field structure and management 95
A. The demesne 95
B. Open-field landholdings: yardlands, oxgangs, and undispersed
holdings 105
C. Tenurial arrangements in the fields 118
D. Field regulations and farming methods 128
vi Contents
5. Early evidence for settlement and fields 134
A. Archaeological evidence relating to Saxon-period
settlements and fields 134
B. Antecedents of medieval fields 154
C. Intermixed strip holdings 165
6. Open-field beginnings 175
A. Previous theories about the formation of intermixed fields 176
B. Open-field beginnings and development 181
C. Summary and future research 206
Appendix: Gazetteer of field systems 215
Glossary 345
Bibliography 347
Index 375
List of Plates
1 Ridge and furrow in 1999 at Braunston, Northamptonshire
2 Ridge and furrow illustrating furlong boundary types at Castle
Ashby and Wollaston, Northamptonshire
3 Rothersthorpe open fields, Northamptonshire, with field names of 1803
4 Twywell open fields, Northamptonshire, in 1736
5 A balk at Strixton, Northamptonshire, in 1595
6 Spratton, Northamptonshire, showing five fields in 1766
7 Hartwell, Northamptonshire, showing fields and multiple settlements
8 Gretton, Northamptonshire, in 1587
9 Saxon-period sites in Northamptonshire
10 Incidence of cropmarks and furlong boundaries at Lutton, Northamptonshire
11 Furlong pattern at Glinton, Northamptonshire
12 Furlong boundary map of Rothersthorpe and Kislingbury, Northamptonshire
13 The four fields of Crick, Northamptonshire
14 Fields at Maxey, Northamptonshire
15 Strips with grass balks at Forrabury, Cornwall, in 2002
16 Upcott Barton, Thorverton, Devon, in 2004
List of Figures
0.1 The three open-field regions of England 3
0.2 Curved strip fields at Epworth, Isle of Axholme, Lincolnshire, in c.1935 4
1.1 Chittlehampton, Devon, showing settlements and their territories 9
1.2 Chilfrome open fields, Dorset, in c.1823 13
1.3 Sheldon, Derbyshire, in 1617 14
1.4 Semley, Wiltshire, showing linear commons 31
2.1 Butterwick, Yorkshire (ER) 47
2.2 Barton le Street, Yorkshire (NR): curved hedges in 1947 49
2.3 Sutton in Campsall, Yorkshire (WR), in 1854 50
2.4 Towton, Yorkshire (WR), in 1894, showing curved hedge lines 51
2.5 The furlong pattern of Towton, Yorkshire (WR) 52
3.1 Cambridgeshire Silt Fen ditched fields 74
3.2 Crayke, Yorkshire (NR): inner field boundary and parish boundary 85
4.1 Kettering, Northamptonshire: enclosed block demesne in1587 100
5.1 Curved hedge patterns at Mansfield Woodhouse, Nottinghamshire 153
5.2 A headland at Ashton Keynes, Wiltshire, showing crop-marked furrows 159
5.3 Furlong boundaries and strip fields at South Elmham, St Michael, Suffolk 162
5.4 Furlongs at Hardwell and neighbourhood, Berkshire 169
App.1 Strip fields at Parracombe near Exmoor, Devon, in 1989 249
App.2 Hinton St Mary, Dorset, showing a Midland-type furlong pattern 251
App.3 Stourpaine furlongs, Dorset 252
App.4 Iford furlongs, Sussex 328
List of Tables
6.1 Types of yardland found at Crick, Northamptonshire 188
6.2 Domesday hide/carucate values and number of later yardlands/oxgangs 199
App.1 Bedfordshire field systems 218
App.2 Berkshire field systems 221
App.3 Buckinghamshire field systems 226
App.4 Derbyshire field systems 243
App.5 Dorset field systems 254
App.6 Durham field systems 257
App.7 Gloucestershire field systems 262
App.8 Hampshire field systems 266
App.9 Herefordshire field systems 269
App.10 Hertfordshire field systems 275
App.11 Leicestershire field systems 284
App.12 Northumberland field systems 296
App.13 Oxfordshire field systems 302
App.14 Shropshire field systems 308
App.15 Somerset field systems 311
App.16 Staffordshire field systems 315
App.17 Surrey field systems 322
App.18 Sussex field systems 326
App.19 Warwickshire field systems 331
App.20 Worcestershire field systems 339